A blog about the things I love, written by a hopeful romantic.

Operation Playa Cruiser :: DIY Saturday

Remember this? My vintage Hawthorne cruiser from the Alameda Flea Market the first Sunday of the month? The newest addition to my bike collection got a facelift today, just in time for playa lift-off on Monday morning!

I spent a lot of time in JoAnn Fabrics yesterday, I knew I wanted to cover the old seat and I maybe should have done something more practical but that’s almost never the case with me. I fell in-love with this pink and green brocade fabric and the matching pink tassels. And the very first thing I was certain about was that the frame had to be “bling-ed.” Instead of encrusting the entire thing (which mostly had to do with my hot glued finger tips and lack of time) I picked spots to highlight with various shaped and colored bling, throwing in a matching pink sparkle here and there. I created the ribbon streamers with tiny ribbons and a quick knot – these remind me of the real ones I had on my very first bike as a kid!

One thing I did not have on my childhood bike but that I had to have on this one is skulls, lots of blingy skulls! I hot glued one on the handlebars for sure and then picked up a few for the tire valves at Mike’s Bikes in Sausalito.

Of course I have the Divine Electric mudflap girl sticker on the back; I added a little bit of bling to it and I think my new playa cruiser is ready to go!